Conventional drywall tape is typically made of paper and does not have an adhesive backing. The tape is secured over joints between sheets of drywall with a joint compound, sometimes referred to as "mud". Prior art devices such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,652,331; 4,086,121; 5,013,389; and 3,960,643 have been developed to contemporaneously apply conventional drywall tape and mud to seal drywall joints. In these devices, tape is coated with mud as the tape is drawn through rollers from a continuous roll of tape. The mud-coated tape is then applied over drywall joints and pressed into place with the rollers. Even with these prior art devices, the process of applying conventional drywall tape with mud is labor intensive and time consuming.
Reinforced adhesive-backed drywall tape, otherwise known as mudless tape, can reduce the amount of labor and time involved in drywalling. Reinforced adhesive-backed drywall tape adheres directly to the drywall over joints between two sheets of drywall. Adhesive-backed mesh tape can also be applied directly over drywall joints. Many devices have been developed to apply mudless tape or mesh tape over drywall joints, including Denkins U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/547,996, filed Oct. 25, 1995. After adhesive-backed tape is applied over a drywall joint, a layer of mud must be subsequently applied over the tape.
While the use of reinforced adhesive-backed drywall tape or mesh tape is typically more time efficient than conventional non-adhesive tape, problems currently exist in applying the finishing layer of mud over adhesive-backed tape or mesh. For example, when applying the finishing layer of mud over mesh or mudless tape the drywaller must be very careful to not rip or tear the mesh. Since the drywaller must apply the finishing mud carefully, the amount of time saved by using mudless tape or mesh is often negated by the additional time needed to apply the finishing layer of mud over the mudless tape or mesh.
It is therefore desirable that an easy to use and efficient apparatus be available for applying mud over mudless tape or mesh in both straight joints and corner joints. The drywaller should be able to apply mud in a quick and easy manner without worrying about ripping or tearing the tape or mesh positioned over the joints between drywall sections.